Monday, April 7, 2014

(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, USVI)- “Veni, vidi, vici”. It’s the famous
Latin phrase delivered by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. to his Roman Senate
after a swift, conclusive victory over the city of Zela. At that point,
Caesar had control of the known Roman World.

Perhaps this should be the operative phrase for the enormously talented
crew sailing with Rick Wesslund on their impressive new steed, the J/122
EL OCASO. While St Thomas is not Zela, it is part of the Caribbean
empire of awesome sailing regattas everyone should include on their
bucket list.

Rick’s team are well on their way to another terrific season of sailing
in the Caribbean, they were crowned CSA Racing 2 Champions after posting
three 1sts and four 2nds for a total of 11 pts, 9 pts clear of second
place. This also reminds one of a famous comment made to the Queen of
England when she asked who won the first America’s Cup Race (the 100
Guinea Cup off Cowes), the reply- “Your Highness, there was no second.”
On a fleet performance basis, they easily earned the “Most Worthy
Overall Performance” for the St Thomas Regatta as well, having won the
largest class by the largest margin.

Having
an equally impressive performance in CSA Racing 3 was Robert
Armstrong’s BAD GIRL, compiling five 1sts a 2nd and 3rd for 10 pts to
narrowly beat out a pair of uber-competitive J/105s. Taking second was
Jonathan Lipuscek’s J/105 DARK STAR with 12 pts and in third was Jordan
Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE with 25 pts. One might say the CSA 3 Racing
division was a “J” class with 7 of 9 boats seeking a podium finish.
Francisco Figueroa’s J/24 COLIBRI from Puerto Rico took fifth in class.

For
many who’ve observed the CSA Non-spinnaker class over the past five
years, they’re often struck by the performance of a pretty J/95 called
SHAMROCK VII sailing with a bunch of friends from the USA (some from New
Hampshire). As the Chief Ringleader of the gang, owner Tom Mullen
first and foremost ensures his friends are having a great time “down
island”. It’s not a coincidence that their fun-loving approach to
sailing on a shoal-draft, lifting centerboard “day-sailor” (meant for
the shoals of Florida, Chesapeake and the Bahamas) has seen success over
the years. Like some US Navy friends always seem to say, Team SHAMROCK
“works hard & plays harder”. Works for them! They again secured a
podium finish this year, taking a third in CSA Non-Spin class. Not far
off their pace was Stanford Joines sailing the beautifully re-furbished
J/36 PALADIN, rounding out the top five in 5th place just two points
back from SHAMROCK!

The
St Thomas YC is again to be commended for hosting another fun event
with great racing. Indeed, it lived up to its billing as the "Crown
Jewel of the Caribbean”. How did it all go down for the StTYC RC team
and the sailors? Here’s a brief recap for each day below:

Day 1- A big breeze welcomed the sailors on the first day. “Boom
or bust” was the big story for the 69-boat fleet, confronted with gusts
up to 30 kts at times, testing the mettle of equipment and crews as the
fleet sailed along the island’s south shore into scenic Charlotte
Amalie harbor and back again amidst a mix of sun and squalls.

The team aboard EL OCASO reveled in the conditions, enjoying the brisk
breeze as well as finishing at the top of the 10-boat CSA Racing 2
Class. “It went well. We had a good day,” explains Kyle Jones, primary
trimmer. “The course was fun and the squalls make it extra difficult.
All and all it was good, especially since this was only the third time
we sailed the boat in competition. The first was Key West Race Week and
the second the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.” Meanwhile, Puerto Rican
sailor, Francisco Figueroa, aboard his J/24 COLIBRI, led the CSA Racing 3
Class, as did Lipuscek’s J/105 DARk STAR in CSA Racing 3.

Day 2- This was another “fast & furious” day for the sailors.
While the courses changed, the winds remained very blustery. Shorter
round-the-buoy and round-the-island races off the island’s east end
combined with 20-plus knots of breeze enabled the StTYC RC to fire off
as many as five races in some classes.

As
some sailors described the conditions, “It was just rough and windy at
the top mark in Pillsbury Sound where the currents met and there were
huge faces on the waves.” JP Montegut, Commodore of host St. Thomas
Yacht Club.Others explained, “It was challenging with strong and shifty
winds. Yet, the races were very tight and that is what’s fun.”

Day 3- the third and final day of sailing brought beautiful
sailing conditions to the fleet. Wesslund’s EL OCASO team soundly
defended his last year’s class win by once again winning CSA Racing 2
Class. Last year
it was on their J/120 by the same name, this year the J/122. “We didn’t
know how big a shift in gears it would be to sail the new boat, but we
did it somehow and we are most grateful, terrific sailing against our
friends in this class,” Wesslund explains.

BAD GIRL, Armstrong’s J/100, had a good day sailing against Lipuscek’s
J/105 DARK STAR. “We knocked heads with them all weekend, we fought them
tooth and nail and ultimately beat them,” explains Carlos Skov, BAD
GIRL’s trimmer. He then explained, “I have to say, the DARK STAR team is
a class act. Great sailing, that’s what it’s all about!” For more St Thomas Regatta sailing information. Or, Facebook St Thomas Regatta Page.